Military

DATE= 03/03/05

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE= EGYPT / ARAB LEAGUE (L-O)

NUMBER=2-322698

BYLINE=GREG LAMOTTE

DATELINE=CAIRO

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

HEADLINE: Arab League Foreign Ministers Meet in Cairo

INTRO: The foreign ministers of the Arab League are meeting in Cairo, in

preparation for an Arab summit to be held, later this month, in Algiers. It will be

the first such meeting of the 22-member organization since the Palestinian

and Iraqi elections and the resignation of the pro-Syrian government in Lebanon.

VOA's Greg LaMotte has the details from the Egyptian capital.

TEXT: Although the issue of a Syrian troop withdrawal from Lebanon is not officially

on the agenda for Arab League foreign ministers, it is expected to dominate the

meeting.

International pressure has been mounting on Damascus to withdraw its estimated

14-thousand troops from neighboring Lebanon. Monday, pro-Syrian Lebanese Prime

Minister Omar Karamai resigned, amid massive demonstrations calling for an end to

Syrian influence in Lebanon.

However, upon arriving in Cairo for the meeting of Arab foreign ministers,

Lebanese diplomat Bassam Numani stressed that Beirut wants to maintain good

relations with Syria. He says he continues to support an older agreement between

Syria and Lebanon that calls for a phased partial withdrawal of troops, with no

timetable.

Among the items on the agenda for the foreign ministers are

Palestinian-Israeli peace efforts. Palestinian leader Mahmud

Abbas met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Saudi foreign minister Saud

al-Faisal, Thursday, in the Egyptian resort Sharm el-Sheikh.

Also on the agenda for the meeting in Cairo is the post-electoral transition

period in Iraq.

The foreign ministers meeting is aimed at preparing for a two-day Arab summit to

be held in Algiers beginning March 22nd, in which most, if not all, of the

agreements reached in Cairo will be ratified by Arab League members. (Signed)

NEB/GL/WD